Importguy75

2004 SL55 AMG shifter stuck in park. Is there anyone out there have this same issues as me or I am just the only unlucky one? What to do to remedied this issue? Thank you all om advance.

moretech

There is a plastic piece in there that breaks, had to take mine to my indy and get it replaced with a metal part. Play with in some and see if you can get it unstuck. I got mine to work without banging on the knob and off it went ASAP to the garage. I think on you tube you can find a DIY repair but it's not the quickest job and I did not want the car stuck in my garage 1/2 apart.

moretech

Importguy75

Thank you moretech for the quick reply. I had just ordered the aluminum replacement piece in the shifter assembly. My 2004 SL55 only has 49K+miles. Is this too soon for this piece to go out? I replaced the brake light switch even though the original switch seemed to be in good working condition. Is there any reprogramming once I replaced the shifter piece with the new aluminum part?

funymuny

Plastic degrades with use and the mere passage of time so it would not be unexpected, imho.

Importguy75

Just wondering... Once the broken plastic piece in the shifter is removed and replaced with an aluminum piece. Is there any reprogramming need to be done? I saw couple of posts on the forum that said reprogramming is needed in order for the car to work right. Other posts said no reprogramming is needed. There a lot of good info on the forum. Thank you all for posting.

kbob999

Heatwave

Importguy75: From whom did you order the metal replacement piece?

Importguy75

Good morning MB lovers,
So, I finally received the aluminum replacement piece for the shifter. My next challenge is how to get the radio bezel out to get to the shifter assembly. Since the shifter stalk is in the way. I cant get to the shifter. Any recommendation is greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

Importguy75

I purchased it from ebay.

Importguy75

Thank you KBOB999

moretech

You need to whack it a good one!!! see this video for a "S500" car. Best of luck!! Let us know how it all works. Video it if you can and post it. We all can use this info.
Moretech

Importguy75

Thank you moretech. I saw that video too.I tried whacking it with a hammer while the car was running(ebrake on of course) on foot on the brake but it didnt budged. Also tried it with the ignition on. No luck. Also, my car has keyless go. Dont want to damage the tip of the stalk bc thats where the keyless go (shift knob) connects. Im gonna try it again later this week.

moretech

That button does cause a headache. My car has it too, but as I said, I could "jiggle' mine to drive with some effort, no hitting. Hopefully some other member may give insight on your situation

moretech

boerge

Changed my plastic part with a new plastic part last winter. Fairly big job, problem is to jack the car high enough and secure it so that you can go under the car to remove shifter linkage etc. Bought a new solid jack, and together with the original jack, got put car up on one side.
Radio trim etc took some time but was ok to take out. Once shifter mechanism was out, it was a more kitchen table job to replace the plastic, it went fine, but i wasnt sure if I had replaced it correctly, thus that I would be able to shift once assembled, but it did work fine once installed.
How to remove radio trim was found on youtube.

Importguy75

m10279

Hi guys
I have this problem too.

How do I get the shifter linkage pin out?

Or is it a clip which fits over the link arm as the pin looks like it's welded to the bottom...?

Help please!

boerge

There is some clip or something that holds the linkage to the shifter. I went under the car completely, while it was jacked high, in order to get it off. I cant remember if it was a clip or some nut.

kbob999

This thread has the best pictures I have found in describing the clip.
It is a spring clip designed to slide on and lock in place. Look closely at the pictures. I real pain to get to!

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...k-again-2.html

m10279

Many thanks kbob999.
Now I can see what's involved and what I have to do.... :-)
Don't have any ramps so I'm going to have to try to get the clip off from inside!
regards

kbob999

I honestly think you will not be able to remove it from inside...I know...I've tried.
Best of luck, and if all else fails get a couple jack stands, a nice floor jack, and a creeper.

m10279

Noted..... And understood!

m10279

Well - I've managed to move the clip on the linkage pin - by using a 16" long thin flat bladed screwdriver to lever the clip away from the bushing - so there's now a 1/4" gap between the shifter arm and the gearbox link arm.
I thought I'd done the job! But the pin - which is welded to the shifter lever - won't slide out of the linkage.
I've tried to lever it out. It moves but not enough to be free of the linkage.
I don't want to force it because I don't want to damage anything.
Have any of you guys who've done this job any ideas? What did you do when you accessed the linkage from below?
It's the bit that gets glossed over in every posting (maybe because it came off easily?)
Anyway, I can't access from below because the car is stuck in my garage and there's no room on one side to jack the car up.
I was thinking of trying to use a lighter and smaller version of a ball joint splitter - the fork type - to try and get in the gap around the pin and push the two parts apart....
But I can't find any so may to to improvise one...
Any thoughts welcome.

Sg45

When I did this repair on my '07 SL550, I remember having to move the shifter from P to D to disconnect the linkage. When you move the shifter down to D, this pushes the arm connected to the linkage forward (closer to the transmission) and makes it easier to disconnect, If you still have car in park, I'm not sure you can disconnect it.

My bigger fear for you is getting the linkage reconnected after the repair. Prying the clip off is easier than squeezing it back on and while you may have gotten a screw driver down from above, I don't think you can do the same with pliers needed to squeeze the clip back on. I am not sure if I have seen any thread where this repair was completed successfully without getting under neath the car for them disconnect/reconnect of the linkage.

Best of luck and please be careful!

m10279

Thanks for the advice.
I think you may be right about the reconnect. I can see how difficult it might be from inside the car.
My hope is to disconnect from inside so I can then manoeuvre the car and jack it up safely and reconnect from below.
Of course, having got the shifter from park into neutral to remove the centre console, I then went and knocked it back into Park whilst trying to disengage the linkage pin!! And now it's stuck again!
Hopefully, as the shifter box is unbolted but still linked, I may be able to get the car physically in Neutral, which may allow me to free the linkage from inside. If not I will have to push it out of the confined space its parked in and jack it up I guess.
Happy days! 🙄

boerge

You must go under the car. I jacked it from the front with a strong 2T jack, and then in the passenger side rear factory lifting point, using original jack. Then high enough to place something (ramps) under the rear passenger wheel. Then again something under the front passenger wheel, at the same time as the front jack was engaged. I might have removed some cover while under there for easier acces, but maybe that was not really necessary. It was quick and easy to get pin out from there, and back, while being under the car. This would of course have been way easier using a proper car lift.